Katei Gyutan Yaki (Grilled Beef Tongue)
In preparation for the Sake Gumi Magnificent Miyagi theme, I've been sipping on dry and clean sakes from Miyagi all month. It's been a year since I visited the prefecture, and I've been reminiscing on the times I had there by looking at the photos (mainly of food) I had while I was there in summer 2019.
I've come up with two recipes to bring Miyagi closer to home. For Sake Gumi members, I recommend having these savory treats with the Miyagi sakes offered this month. We also have sakes from Miyagi that we have on our shelves all year long that you can see included here amongst other stories and products we've written about from Miyagi.
Apart from oysters, Miyagi is most famous for its gyutan (beef tongue), so I had to indulge myself by incorporating this rich ingredient into this recipe to celebrate Miyagi. Gyutan is a bit tough, so slicing it really thin and dipping it in this sweet, savory, citrusy sauce tenderizes it. This very simple recipe was a special treat, because it brought the yakiniku (grilled meat) experience home. I fear that it will be a long time before we can go out and have a raucous time around a communal grill at a restaurant. That's why I've called it Katei Gyutan Yaki, or At-Home Grilled Beef Tongue.
INGREDIENTS
7 oz or approximately 200g of beef tongue (sliced)*
2-3 stalks of green onion (white portion only) minced
1 clove of garlic, grated
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp unroasted sesame oil
1 tbsp mirin
1 tsp roasted sesame oil
Salt and pepper
Slice of lemon for garnish
METHOD
1. Combine, green onions, grated garlic, 1 tbsp lemon juice, 1 tsp roasted sesame oil into a bowl. Add a pinch of salt and pepper and mix. Set aside.
2. Lightly salt the beef tongue slices.
3. Add sesame oil into pan on low heat. When pan gets hot, add beef tongue slices. Fry lightly on each side for 1-2 minutes.
3. Turn off and take off heat, and plate slices. Spoon over the the green onion sauce and garnish with a lemon wedge.
For the full Miyagi experience, enjoy with a Miyagi sake, oysters, the other vegetarian friendly recipe celebrating Miyagi, Buttered Bamboo Shoots!
*Beef tongue is challenging to break down and prepare! If possible, ask your butcher to peel the beef tongue, which is the hardest part. Better yet, if you can find beef tongue that has already been peeled and sliced, opt for that! If you can't find beef tongue, you can substitute it with another type of beef cut for yakiniku, like eye of round.
